diff --git a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParam.java b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParam.java
index 7a7d04c2483..721dccad006 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParam.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParam.java
@@ -104,24 +104,33 @@ public class ReferenceParam extends BaseParam /*implements IQueryParameterType*/
 	void doSetValueAsQueryToken(FhirContext theContext, String theParamName, String theQualifier, String theValue) {
 		String q = theQualifier;
 		String resourceType = null;
+		boolean skipSetValue = false;
 		if (isNotBlank(q)) {
 			if (q.startsWith(":")) {
 				int nextIdx = q.indexOf('.');
 				if (nextIdx != -1) {
 					resourceType = q.substring(1, nextIdx);
 					myChain = q.substring(nextIdx + 1);
+					// type is explicitly defined so use it
+					myId.setParts(null, resourceType, theValue, null);
+					skipSetValue = true;
 				} else {
 					resourceType = q.substring(1);
 				}
 			} else if (q.startsWith(".")) {
 				myChain = q.substring(1);
+				// type not defined but this is a chain, so treat value as opaque
+				myId.setParts(null, null, theValue, null);
+				skipSetValue = true;
 			}
 		}
 
-		setValue(theValue);
+		if (!skipSetValue) {
+			setValue(theValue);
 
-		if (isNotBlank(resourceType) && isBlank(getResourceType())) {
-			setValue(resourceType + '/' + theValue);
+			if (isNotBlank(resourceType) && isBlank(getResourceType())) {
+				setValue(resourceType + '/' + theValue);
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParamTest.java b/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParamTest.java
index e6c108a1951..a61aa706ac2 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParamTest.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/param/ReferenceParamTest.java
@@ -19,9 +19,61 @@ public class ReferenceParamTest {
 		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, null, "Location/123");
 		assertEquals("Location", rp.getResourceType());
 		assertEquals("123", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Location/123", rp.getValue());
 		assertEquals(null, rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
 		
 	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWithResourceType_AbsoluteUrl() {
+		
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, null, "http://a.b/c/d/e");
+		assertEquals("d", rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("e", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("http://a.b/c/d/e", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(null, rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWithNoResourceTypeAsQualifierAndChain() {
+
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ".name", "FOO");
+		assertEquals(null, rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("FOO", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("FOO", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(".name", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		assertEquals("name", rp.getChain());
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWithNoResourceTypeAsQualifierAndChain_RelativeUrl() {
+
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ".name", "Patient/1233");
+		assertEquals(null, rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("Patient/1233", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Patient/1233", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(".name", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		assertEquals("name", rp.getChain());
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWithNoResourceTypeAsQualifierAndChain_AbsoluteUrl() {
+
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ".name", "http://something.strange/a/b/c");
+		assertEquals(null, rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("http://something.strange/a/b/c", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("http://something.strange/a/b/c", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(".name", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		assertEquals("name", rp.getChain());
+
+	}
 	
 	@Test
 	public void testWithResourceTypeAsQualifier() {
@@ -30,6 +82,34 @@ public class ReferenceParamTest {
 		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Location", "123");
 		assertEquals("Location", rp.getResourceType());
 		assertEquals("123", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Location/123", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(null, rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+
+	}
+
+	// TODO: verify this behavior is correct. If type is explicitly specified (i.e. :Location), should it be
+	// an error if it gets overriden by the resourceType in the url?
+	@Test
+	public void testWithResourceTypeAsQualifier_RelativeUrl() {
+		
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Location", "Patient/123");
+		assertEquals("Patient", rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("123", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Patient/123", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(null, rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+
+	}
+
+	// TODO: verify this behavior is correct. Same case as testWithResourceTypeAsQualifier_RelativeUrl()
+	@Test
+	public void testWithResourceTypeAsQualifier_AbsoluteUrl() {
+		
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Location", "http://a.b/c/d/e");
+		assertEquals("d", rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("e", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("http://a.b/c/d/e", rp.getValue());
 		assertEquals(null, rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
 
 	}
@@ -42,11 +122,51 @@ public class ReferenceParamTest {
 		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Location.name", "FOO");
 		assertEquals("Location", rp.getResourceType());
 		assertEquals("FOO", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Location/FOO", rp.getValue());
 		assertEquals(":Location.name", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
 		assertEquals("name", rp.getChain());
 
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testWithResourceTypeAsQualifierAndChain_IdentifierUrlAndValue() {
+
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Patient.identifier", "http://hey.there/a/b|123");
+		assertEquals("Patient", rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("http://hey.there/a/b|123", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Patient/http://hey.there/a/b|123", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(":Patient.identifier", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		assertEquals("identifier", rp.getChain());
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWithResourceTypeAsQualifierAndChain_IdentifierUrlOnly() {
+
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Patient.identifier", "http://hey.there/a/b|");
+		assertEquals("Patient", rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("http://hey.there/a/b|", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Patient/http://hey.there/a/b|", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(":Patient.identifier", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		assertEquals("identifier", rp.getChain());
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWithResourceTypeAsQualifierAndChain_ValueOnlyNoUrl() {
+
+		ReferenceParam rp = new ReferenceParam();
+		rp.setValueAsQueryToken(ourCtx, null, ":Patient.identifier", "|abc");
+		assertEquals("Patient", rp.getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("|abc", rp.getIdPart());
+		assertEquals("Patient/|abc", rp.getValue());
+		assertEquals(":Patient.identifier", rp.getQueryParameterQualifier());
+		assertEquals("identifier", rp.getChain());
+
+	}
+
 	@AfterClass
 	public static void afterClassClearContext() {
 		TestUtil.clearAllStaticFieldsForUnitTest();